Shortly thereafter, the CIA gets word that Syd and Vaughn's plane has
been shot down,
and not by North Koreans, so it's probably Covenant doing,
and
the word from on high
is that they aren't suppose to do anything - Syd and Vaughn to be disavowed

Hoping probably that disavowalment is not too painful, Jack says nothing
and walks out

Dixon says screw 'em, no disavowalment, never give up, never surrender,
and we'll get them, or at least their poor crumpled bodies, back

A little later, Jack's in his car, laptop and satellite uplink in hand,
sending an IM to Irina

asking for

help

Meanwhile, back in North Korea, the plane has crashed, the Korean army is
closing in,

and the satellite phone isn't working

So in full view and gunshot range of the advancing soldiers, Vaughn lights
a flare, and tosses it ...

and blows up the plane and the soldier types before the soldiers can fire
on them